


Captivated

by TenSpencerRiedPlease



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Damen is a sweetheart, Humor, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Laurent (Captive Prince) Knows, Light Angst, M/M, Nicaise is a cat, YouTuber Laurent, as always, because reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 02:07:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12098343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenSpencerRiedPlease/pseuds/TenSpencerRiedPlease
Summary: Damen needed some advice on how to deal with a piece of broken armor, he had turned to the internet for help, which turned into watching hours of tutorials, which turned into somehow finding a book and movie reviewer whose blonde hair caught his eye.He was the first to admit that sometimes he might be a little too drawn to blondes but this one was really pretty and he had spent a large amount of time looking up how to fix his armor so really he earned a break. Nikandros would probably tell a totally different story about his attractions but he was too uptight so what did he know?





	Captivated

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished the Captive Prince trilogy and that was a ride! I had to write something though and I only have like 5 million ideas. So I chose to go with this one.
> 
> Warning for some references (not in detail) of the regent's abuse to Laurent.

Damen, who usually spent the time he wasn’t working doing battle reenactments, didn’t typically spent time on YouTube. But, since he needed some advice on how to deal with a piece of broken armor, he had turned to the internet for help, which turned into watching hours of tutorials, which turned into somehow finding a book and movie reviewer whose blonde hair caught his eye. Damen was the first to admit that sometimes he might be a little too drawn to blondes but this one was really pretty and he _had_ spent a large amount of time looking up how to fix his armor so really he earned a break. Nikandros would probably tell a totally different story about his attractions but he was too uptight so what did he know?

So Damen falls into one of those YouTube binges everyone around him has talked about but he’s never experienced for himself. The first review is of a book Damen had never heard of and Laurent, that was the guy’s name, tore the book to _shreds_. Damen didn’t even know someone could do that much damage with only words but this guy made an art out of tearing things apart. Oddly Damen found himself drawn further in, watching more reviews until he gets to know small things about Laurent. Like he didn’t care for his family, one book was so bad that he said he’d rather spend an entire afternoon with them than even _look_ at the book again. He also had a cat named Nicaise and the cat was an asshole who liked to knock things over and walk all over Laurent’s keyboard while he was filming but Laurent seemed to like the cat anyways. The cat tolerated Laurent’s affections.

He also learns that despite Laurent’s family dislikes he _did_ actually care for his brother, who frequently got reamed out in his movie reviews because it was always Auguste’s idea to go see said movie. His review of the entire Fast and the Furious franchise was _hilarious_ even if Damen liked the movies. So Laurent thought they were mind numbing and clearly appealing to a male audience with no real sense of imagination or wit, Damen still liked them. There were hot women and men and cars blowing up, what more could Laurent have asked for in a movie? A lot, apparently, because his standards were almost higher than his necklines. Damen was pretty sure he’s never seen anyone on the street dressed like Laurent but he pulled it off well, even if all those laces on his shirt confused Damen. How did he put those shirts on in the morning? And where did he get those jackets? They were attractive at least on Laurent.

Despite the ridiculously high standards Laurent had his reviews were engaging and impressive so Damen watched more. And more. And maybe more than he really needed to because eventually Nikandros and Jokaste eventually come to find him in his bachelors apartment. Jokaste takes one look at the screen of his computer and rolls her eyes, patting Nikandros’ shoulder as she turned around and walked back out. “He’s thinking with his dick again, this is your problem now,” she tells him and goes.

“That is basically slander,” Damen says as Nikandros walks up to his computer and, like Jokaste, rolls his eyes.

“You’re an idiot, Damianos,” Nikandros tells him.

“For what? I was just watching some funny YouTube reviews, you should hear this guy, he’s hilarious,” Damen says. Nikandros gives him a _look_ and Damen heaves out a sigh, “what’s that for?”

“You can’t fall in love with YouTube personalities, Damen. Jesus, get up and lets go. You better have that armor fixed because we need you for the reenactment,” Nikandros tells him. Damen, realizing maybe a little too late, realizes that he hasn’t even touched his armor in days. Nikandros gives him that _look_ and Damen sighs and accept that maybe this time Nikandros was right and he should step away from the computer.

He gets the armor fixed on the way to the reenactment where he meets probably the only guy with a sword who has given him much of a challenge during the fighting reenactments. Nikandros had been giving him _looks_ all throughout the tournament, eyebrows practically ready to fly off with how much he was raising and lowering them, but Auguste wasn’t Damen’s quite Damen’s type.

*

Damen, with his spare time, considers not watching any more of Laurent’s reviews but when he notices a new one he can’t help himself. Call him weak, it was true. So he sits down in front of the computer and opens Laurent’s latest review, watching as he faces the camera with a cool, emotionless look on his face as always. What was new, though, was the cat that appeared to be tethered to Laurent’s desk. The apartment behind him is neat and tidy, almost frighteningly so. Damen looks around his own space and decides to just ignore the mess as Laurent starts talking.

“I’m sure you’ve all noticed Nicaise attached to my desk by a harness. Tell them what you did, Nicaise,” he tells the cat, looking at the animal and full well expecting the cat to tell a story. Damen can’t help but snort out a laugh at that.

The cat, shockingly, lets out a small ‘mew’ at Laurent’s words.

“Yes that’s right, he is tied to my desk because he tried to eat my cactus and successfully waged and won a war with my succulent. The poor thing has been utterly decimated,” Laurent says and he holds up the remains of the succulent. It was mostly just a pot of dirt now but there was a single leaf and some roots to indicate a plant was once in there. “So now Nicaise is grounded,” Laurent says very seriously.

The cat’s tail flicks back and forth in annoyance as the cat, which appeared to be more of a kitten, glared back at him. “Don’t look at me like that Nicaise, you were the one who decided to battle my cactus and now I have a very large vet pill to pay because you injured yourself. No worries, Nicaise is obviously okay,” he says to the camera- to the people watching. Nicaise still looks angry about being trapped on Laurent’s desk. Laurent reaches out and gently rubs Nicaise’s head and the cat, although he looked like he was enjoying Laurent’s affections, also appeared as if he was he was enjoying it against his will. Weird cat, Damen thought, but Laurent jumps into a review of yet another novel Damen has never heard of but he liked it.

He ends the review with the book in his hand, ignoring as Nicaise swatted at it to be annoying, and he says, “I highly recommend it. I hated it but that’s because it made me feel things and I dislike everything that makes me feel things. If you don’t feel something when you read this then congratulations, you’re colder than me and I once had a guy tell me I could freeze his dick off with a look. If only that were true, it would have saved half my graduating class from syphilis and it would have saved me from having to deal with all my friends whine about it.” Damen shakes his head as the video ends because this was Laurent’s extremely strange way of saying that he quite liked the book he read. Damen, despite never really being the book type, adds it to his previously nonexistent reading list.

*

Auguste was a fast friend of Damen’s because people who liked to dress up in weird clothing and play with swords in their spare time weren’t exactly abundant. Jokaste thought he was a moron and Nikandros was in it for the glory of winning the battle. His older brother, Kastor, had been the one to get him into it in the first place but had a strange disinterest in the activity now. Regardless, he and Auguste quickly bonded over gear, armor, swords, and fighting techniques because they shared a love of the sport even if Damen thought Auguste’s weird amount of clothing was absurd, especially with all those damn laces. Something about the laces reminds him of something but he ignores it in favor of throwing a sword at Auguste just for the fun of it.

When they finally throw themselves in the dirt sweaty and in need of a shower Damen is somewhat surprised to get invited to see a movie. “Fair warning though, my brother is coming and he is one hell of a critic. He doesn’t like the Fast and Furious movies, who doesn’t like the Fast and Furious movies?” Auguste asks, shaking his head.

“Hot women, hot men, cars blowing up, it’s all you need in a movie,” Damen agrees.

“ _Awesome_ cars in a movie blowing up,” Auguste adds and Damen laughs.

“Yeah, exactly. Eye candy everywhere, that’s what makes a movie watchable.” Nikandros disagreed but he also thought Avatar was a good movie and all Damen remembered from it was that the people were blue and there was some kind of hair sex. That was _it_ so clearly his friend knew nothing.

“My brother doesn’t think so, Laurent is all into plot lines and world building, whatever the hell that is. But he is entertaining to listen to when he rants,” Auguste admits.

“Lucky you, when my brother rants it’s more of an annoying lecture I don’t need,” Damen says and Auguste snorts.

“Oh mine too, despite being the younger one. So, want to go?” Damen agrees because he figured it was bound to be an interesting experience. The last thing he expects is to run into Laurent from those YouTube videos though, upon reflection, there were several hints that he was Auguste’s brother.

*

Laurent knew that Auguste hated and loved seeing movies with him. He hated it because Laurent preferred plot line to attractive actors and world building to lazy tropes that Hollywood liked to pedal out in place of real creativity. Auguste was like most mindless twentysomethings and only cared about whether or not he was sufficiently distracted from the real world. Laurent wanted more than a distraction, he wanted _art_. Unfortunately what he usually got was a steaming pile of shit that people had the audacity to make him pay for.

When he meets his brother at the theater he notices his friend right away, with his height and bulk it was impossible not to, but it was his facial features that caught Laurent’s attention. Well, if nothing else failed his brother’s friend was definitely a work of art. Or he was until he spotted Laurent and almost tripped right into a trash can he never would have fit into. “I thought that sort of thing only happened in movies like Mean Girls,” he says as Auguste laughs at his friend.

“I thought you said Mean Girls was a ridiculous film that tried to take a stab at teen girls and their struggles and missed the mark when they had the school turn into a literal animal wild fight. Although you _did_ like Regina George because for some reason you thought she was interesting,” he says and Laurent laughs.

“You watch my YouTube channel! No wonder you looked surprised to see me. What do you think?” he asks, offering a small smile that suggests he already knew the answer to his question. Which he did. No one who disliked his reviews would be able to quote him back like that.

His poor companion turns a little red in the cheeks and Auguste, who was used to Laurent’s behaviors by now, snorts a little and covers his mouth to hide his laughter. “I think your cat is an asshole,” his brother’s friend blurts out and Laurent throws his head back and laughs. It leaves his companion with a dumbfounded look on his face, likely because Laurent was quite pretty.

“Nicaise has his charms,” is all he says to that.

“Nicaise _is_ an asshole,” Auguste agrees because he disliked the poor cat too. Nicaise was misunderstood, that was all. “So uh, Laurent this is Damen, and Damen, apparently you already know Laurent. Sort of.”

Laurent gives Damen a pretty smile, “pleasure to meet you,” he says in a silky tone. Auguste knows his mistake right away and his eyes go wide.

“I know how to use a sword, stay away from my brother,” he tells Damen, who looks at him funny.

“Auguste, I’m better at fighting with a sword than you are,” he tells him in a plain tone that makes Laurent laugh inwardly. Well, this movie just got more interesting.

*

Damen couldn’t believe that Laurent spent the whole night, barring the actual movie, flirting with him. He couldn’t even _help_ flirting back, Laurent was probably the prettiest person he’s ever seen and his mind was even better. He watched as Laurent tormented his brother all night and better yet it was _Auguste_ who hung himself in Laurent’s ropes. He managed to get Auguste to spill nearly every embarrassing childhood story he had all by nudging Auguste in the right direction conversationally and he took a lot of pleasure in doing it too. As it turned out Laurent was as sharp in real life situations as he was when he was when tearing apart movies and books and it made Damen want to see more of him.

Auguste, of course, didn’t at all approve of Laurent’s intents or Damen’s but especially not Damen’s. Damen didn’t even really _have_ any intents and if he did Damen suspected that Laurent would probably guess them and manipulate them however he pleased. Laurent, he had learned, was more than a little adept at playing mind games. That didn’t stop Auguste from pulling the big brother act and it definitely didn’t stop Damen from all but stalking Laurent’s YouTube channel for the movie review in some ridiculous and fruitless hope that Laurent mentioned him. He wouldn’t, Damen knew, because he knew Damen watched but he still held hope.

When Laurent updates a new video he’s on it almost instantaneously. The video opens with Nicaise perched on Laurent’s desk again, still grounded Damen presumed, and Laurent smiles into the camera. “Hello everyone. Yes, Nicaise is still grounded but that’s only because I let him off his last grounding only to discover that this time he wanted to wage a war on my T.V remote. Thankfully the remote won the battle and Nicaise is, sadly, on house arrest once again.”

Nicaise looks pissed about this, tail flicking back and forth in annoyance and Laurent continues. “As usual my brother invited me to yet another god awful movie with no originality and an inexplicable romance storyline that, for some reason, the writers thought was more interesting than space genocide but before I get to _that_ mess the pre movie show proved to be interesting enough to review.”

Damen’s jaw drops because there was _no way_ Laurent was going to do what he thinks Laurent was going to do. “My brother brought a friend, an attractive one,” Laurent says, raising an eyebrow appreciatively. “He watches my YouTube channel too so hello Damen, I know you’ve been waiting for me to upload my new review. And you probably hoped that I’d mention you but didn’t think I’d dare actually do it because you know I know you watch. Surprise,” Laurent says _directly to him_ through the video. Damen couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He couldn’t believe Laurent had the guts to do this but… well it had been what he wanted.

“Did you know,” Laurent says in a slow, deliberate way, “that people tripping and falling into trash cans was possible? Poor Damen nearly took a tumble and he would have went into the trash too if he didn’t right himself so quickly. I wish you all could have seen it, it was adorable and my brother was _extremely_ annoyed that we took a liking to each other. And you, Auguste, definitely didn’t think I’d spent some time talking to Damen on my channel did you? Well big brother, surprise to you too. And stay out of my love life; I am a grown man for gods sakes. Now, Damen since you share an inexplicable love for sports with my brother I will see you at his next tournament. You best show up,” he says in a silky, almost dangerous tone.

Damen stares at the screen with his mouth open in a wide smile because that had to be the most needlessly dramatic but interesting way he has ever been asked out in. There was no way he could say no now, Auguste defending Laurent’s honor or no.

*

Laurent didn’t like taking risks, he had too many control issues for that, but Damen was absolutely smitten with him and if nothing else he would show up to play with his swords with Auguste. The plan was foolproof, which was proven when Damen appeared in some Greek or Roman inspired garb that had Laurent leaning around his brother to appreciate the view. That skirt was rather high on his thigh and Laurent purposefully licks his lips. Damen notices because he flushes a little and smiles, a dimple appearing on his cheek. Laurent loved dimples, he didn’t know it until right now but he did.

“No! I said my brother was off limits!” Auguste says to Damen. “And you, since when do you date? You don’t date; everyone talks about how you don’t date. Stop making eyes at Damen, Laurent or I’ll… forbid from being here,” he says in a fit of misguided love and protection for his brother.

He didn’t need protection though, he wasn’t a child anymore and he knew how to handle himself. “Auguste, you can’t ban me from anywhere, that’s absurd and you know it. Besides, thought I told you I was a grown man who is capable of making my own decisions,” he reminds him. Auguste looks a little helpless because he knew that Laurent was not the type to be controlled so he wilts a little and trails behind Laurent as he steps around his brother and walks over to Damen. “So,” Laurent says to Damen, “what can you do on the field?”

Damen, as it turned out, was pretty impressive and then some. His form was impressive and Laurent rather enjoyed the view from the sidelines. Auguste was horrified with the whole thing but remained silent because he knew better than to try and out scheme Laurent. It only ever ended with him spilling all the embarrassing details from his childhood. He is, however, surprised when Damen’s friend, Laurent couldn’t remember his name, saunters over and asks about Laurent’s ability with a sword.

“No, absolutely not,” Auguste says right away but Laurent has already walked onto the field with Damen’s eyes on him, confused. His friend looked like he was wholly prepared to skewer Laurent in some bizarre way to warn him off. Or at least that was his best guess for this odd behavior. He was going to be sorely disappointed when he lost the fight. Auguste watches on in horror that’s mirrored in Damen’s face as Laurent picks up a sword and carefully feels for the blade. It wasn’t his first choice in blade but it would do.

He watches as Damen nudges Auguste, obviously thinking he should do something, but Auguste gives a small shrug. Laurent was not the controllable type. Damen’s friend was eyeing him up like a piece of meat but Laurent wasn’t deterred by it. He knew he’d be underestimated and when the fight begins he knows he’s right. Damen’s friend was competent and, if he had not been underestimating Laurent’s abilities, he probably would have won. But he took one look at Laurent’s small physic and pretty face and immediately decided he was incompetent. So when his sword goes flying out of his hand and into the dirt Laurent just grins because he hadn’t even broken a sweat. Damen’s friend, however, was giving him a newly appreciative look.

“I’m Nikandros, break Damen’s heart and I will find you,” he tells him. Promises him really.

Laurent smiles, “have fun getting through Auguste,” is all he says back. Damen, on the sidelines, is absolutely dumbfounded. He saunters back over and takes Damen’s shock in stride because now, at least, Damen wouldn’t try and underestimate him like everyone else.

*

Winning a swordfight was not something Damen should be turned on by; he admitted that to himself, because it sort of meant his would be lover was deadly. But that, for some unfathomable reason, really only added to the thrill of it all. Nikandros told him he was insane and Damen really couldn’t disagree. That didn’t stop him from trailing after Laurent like a lovesick puppy, which Damen couldn’t help but think was Laurent’s plan all along. Damen didn’t much mind because Laurent was fascinating in a way few were.

When he ends up back at Laurent’s apartment, the one he’s seen in his YouTube videos, he finds that it’s just as neat as it was in the videos. “What, did you think I only cleaned for my videos? Or,” Laurent says slowly, “did you think that I only cleaned the areas my camera caught on video?” Damen flushes a little and Laurent snorts. “I can’t believe you thought I was a secret slob. No doubt this is a reflection of you _own_ mess waiting at home. Am I right?” he asks, eyes glittering in a way that suggested he already knew the answer to that.

“Maybe,” Damen admits, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Laurent shakes his head and invites him further in. They end up sitting on Laurent’s small couch, or at least small to Damen, who was unusually large, watching some TV show that Laurent swore up and down was the best of the best. Damen didn’t see it but he was happy to watch Laurent as he engaged with the material. He leaned out from the couch, watching the T.V with rapt attention and, to Damen’s amusement, was mouthing the words of the show as it progressed. Damen ends up watching the T.V out of some misguided attempt to understand Laurent but ends up paying just as much attention to the plot, which had finally got interesting, as Laurent.

Nicaise had shown up shortly after Damen and Laurent had arrived home and had recently taken up a begrudging residence in Laurent’s lap. He clearly wanted attention but he also didn’t seem to want to admit it so he perched in Laurent’s lap like he belonged there but gave off an air that he would leave any time he pleased. Spoilt pet, Damen preferred dogs. They’re on the third episode of the show, Damen thinks, when he puts his arm around Laurent. Laurent immediately goes stiff and Damen is about to remove his hand when Nicaise makes a lunge for him, scratching at his left shoulder. Damen pulls back immediately and Nicaise flicks his tail back and forth with a look of satisfaction on his face that said something like ‘ _ha, I made you jump_ ’.

“Ouch,” Damen says more to the cat than Laurent, whose lips were tilted up in an almost nervous smile. Like he was trying to cover some emotion but had partially failed.

“Nicaise is protective,” Laurent explains and Damen rubs his shoulder.

“Clearly, vicious little beast,” Damen mumbles at the cat. Nicaise settles back into Laurent’s lap and continues to act as if he was a prince and Laurent’s lap was his throne.

*

Laurent’s aversion to touch was something that persisted and though Damen had a million questions about it he kept them to himself. It was none of his business and he was happy to let Laurent move at his own pace. Auguste watched him like a hawk but Damen didn’t mind. He had nothing to hide so he didn’t mind being watched. The small snatches of moments when Laurent let down his guard, or lowered it at least, for brief kisses was more than enough for Damen. It was difficult for Laurent; Damen could see it, so he let Laurent set the pace, let Laurent come to him. It was easier that way because it meant it was harder to overstep his boundaries if Laurent made the first move. Laurent seemed to like this and Damen let him have it. He knew Laurent had control issues, anyone with functioning senses knew it after spending five minutes in his company, so this way things weren’t needlessly complicated.

“You know, I think you’re better than me with a sword,” Auguste tells Damen, leaning into him a little with a cup of beer in his hand. He squints a little as he talks and Damen laughs loudly because he was also drunk. Somewhere else in Auguste’s apartment Laurent was lingering around, maybe even drinking though Damen doubted it, not with his control issues, and he was half tempted to find him. First he had to deal with Auguste though.

“I am absolutely better with a sword than you,” he tells him confidently. Nikandros yells his opinion out there but all Damen got from his yelling was that he agreed and that was said in tone only. Someone should be cut off but Damen figured he was probably too drunk to criticize. He’d just torment Nikandros in the morning when he had a horrible hangover and Damen was fine. He rarely got hangovers.

“We should test it!” Auguste says enthusiastically.

“I think we’re too drunk,” Damen yells back over the music.

Nikandros yells something to the contrary but when he gets up to walk over to Damen he falls right over and hits the ground. “See,” Damen says, gesturing to his fallen friend.

“Ah, he just can’t hold his beer,” Auguste says and Damen starts laughing inexplicably hard at that.

“Auguste, leave the poor man alone,” a cool, familiar voice says. Damen turns to find Laurent there and smiles.

“Laurent!” he says enthusiastically.

“Yes, it is I. Now I think I may need some help getting to bed,” he says and he frowns just a little but Damen shrugs.

“Alright then, come on,” he says and offers his hand out to Laurent to take. Normally he’d just scoop him up and walk off but he knew Laurent liked control so this was Damen’s way of giving him some. He already admitted to needing help, he probably didn’t want to give up more than that. He doesn’t expect Laurent to skip past his hand and lean his entire body weight into him but he wasn’t about to complain about it either so he circles his arm around his waist and walks off, carefully steering Laurent to Auguste’s guest bedroom.

Laurent almost _cuddles_ into Damen’s side and Damen, who was probably too drunk to have clued in right away, knows something is off here. When he goes to deposit Laurent on the bed he reaches up to Damen, “come with me,” he says, smiling in a flattering way at Damen.

He laughs softly and pulls away, “oh no, you’re way too drunk for this,” he says.

“So are you,” Laurent points out.

“Yeah, I am. But you’re in no state of mind to be making any kind of decisions right now. Go to sleep Laurent,” Damen tells him.

Laurent almost pouts, which is very uncharacteristic for him. “Don’t you want me?” he asks.

Did he ever. “Yes I do, probably more than you know, but not like this. Sober you would regret it,” he says. He knew from experience and that wasn’t even factoring in Laurent’s other issues. All around this was a bad idea. He gently takes Laurent’s out stretched hand and squeezes it, “go to bed, Laurent,” he tells him again.

Damen leaves him then and, because he couldn’t be sure Laurent wouldn’t try and do something stupid like that again and he _definitely_ couldn’t be sure someone wouldn’t take him up on it, he shuts Laurent’s door and sits outside of it. It doesn’t take long to pass out with his back against the door because this way he’d wake up if he suddenly hit the floor and he could defend Laurent if needed.

*

“Fine,” Auguste tells him begrudgingly in the morning, “you can date my brother.”

Damen raises an eyebrow, “I think we’ve been dating for almost three months,” he says.

Auguste rolls his eyes, “well now I’m giving you my blessing so it’s official. Thanks,” he says slowly, “for last night.”

“Last night?” Damen asks, not entirely sure what Auguste means.

For a long moment Auguste says nothing and he frowns, trying to figure out how to word something. “Look, Laurent’s got some… issues and he’s sensitive okay? He pretends he isn’t but he’s really messed up and the last thing he needs is some asshole taking advantage of him,” Auguste says and _again_ hangs heavy in the air. Damen feels a little sick but he lets Auguste finish. “You… don’t seem to care that he’s cold, that he doesn’t like touch. And last night I know he did something stupid, he never drinks, so thanks for not going along with whatever stupid plan he had. I know you didn’t because you took like thirty seconds to put him to bed and even a minute man can’t finish that fast,” he says.

Damen, against his will, snorts and laughs at that but sobers quickly. “I would have never touched him, he was way too drunk to be making any kind of decision like that. He um… made an offer but I wasn’t about to take him up on it.” That was… not at all something he’d ever even consider. “And,” Damen adds, “he isn’t cold. He watched his favorite T.V show with me,” he says.

Auguste frowns, “he shares his T.V preferences with the whole world, hence the YouTube channel,” he points out.

“No he doesn’t, he has an hours worth of footage tearing movies to shreds and a few videos where he says he doesn’t hate something. That’s not the same,” Damen says.

“Whatever you say,” Auguste mumbles, shaking his head and turning to the coffee.

*

“So nothing happened,” Laurent clarifies and Damen nods.

“Nothing happened,” he confirms.

Laurent rubs his eyes, “I remember… I know I made a pass at you,” he says in a tight voice.

Damen nods at that too, confirming Laurent’s memories even if he didn’t want them confirmed. “Yes, you did. But you were drunk and I knew something was off when you basically crawled into my lap. Obviously you weren’t thinking right so when you tried to get me into bed with you I left you there alone because I knew you weren’t thinking straight,” he says.

Laurent lets out an annoyed noise, “I acted like a normal person, that’s how you knew something was off?” His tone is one of frustration, anger, and a little disgust though Damen thinks its directed at himself, which is weird.

“No, I knew something was off because you weren’t acting like yourself,” he corrects. “Besides, I like you how you are. You’re smart, and witty, and loving, and of course you’re beautiful,” he says.

Something in Laurent’s expression shifts and he looks up at Damen, “you said beautiful last.” There was something to his words but Damen wasn’t entirely sure what it was.

“Well yes, it’s true but… well honestly your looks are the least interesting thing about you, which you should find impressive because you are absolutely stunning,” he says. It’s the truth and from the faint blush on Laurent’s cheeks he could feel the truth of Damen’s words.

“Most people list that first. I… people don’t usually see my mind,” he says softly.

“Than most people lack basic observation skills,” Damen says, “because when I’m talking to you I’m always dealing with your mind. You’re so tightly controlled, everything you say has a purpose, sometimes it’s hard to remember you have a body at all with a mind like yours.” It sounded way weirder out loud than it had in Damen’s head but Laurent preens under the attention so he doesn’t care.

“You actually mean that,” Laurent says, shocked.

“I actually mean that,” Damen confirms and he smiles.

For a moment Laurent doesn’t react but then, slowly, he reaches out and touches Damen’s jaw. He gently guides him forward and stands on his toes, something that was required with the height difference, and presses a small kiss to Damen’s lips. It’s more than the slight brushes they’ve shared before but it wasn’t the kind of kiss Damen was used to. It did, however, hold a small promise of more and that was more than what Damen could have asked for out of Laurent so he takes it. Laurent, when or even if he was ready, would give him more than that. In the meantime there was always that YouTube channel and bonding over Nicaise’s latest war with Laurent’s household objects.

**Author's Note:**

> [My writing Tumblr](https://tenspencerriedplease.tumblr.com/)


End file.
